The present invention relates in general to hospital surgery room equipment and specifically to a disposable cover for the handle of a surgical room light fixture which is normally positioned above the operating table and handled by the surgeon and or nurse during operations. In operating rooms and surgical surroundings, special and unique lighting is employed due to the unique requirements for both high-powered lighting and the attainment of a sterile environment. This lighting commonly consists of an arrangement of lights suspended from above the operating area so as to project and focus the rays upon the surgical area. Due to the use of such lighting, surgical personnel find it necessary to adjust the angle of incidence upon the operating areas or to bring the light closer to the area which is being operated on during surgery. To accomplish this task, the moveable lighting fixture usually has a handle situated in the middle of the light housing and depends therefrom. To aid in the pursuit of cleanliness and in order to aid in the creation of a more sterile environment, the handle of the lighting housing must be sterile because of the constant contact with the hands of surgical personnel who are attempting to adjust the lighting. The handle must not become contaminated and render the environment not sterile.
It is well known that every facet of medical care is reviewed repeatedly to determine if either cost or space for medical supplies can be reduced. However, a conflict regularly arises between personnel responsible for saving cost and space and those who are responsible for delivery of excellent medical care. Those responsible for saving cost look for ways to use less expensive products. Those responsible for delivery of health care resist using what they often rightly perceive to be lower quality products being either urged or forced upon them by procurement departments. During the era of the light handle covers of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,605,124, 5,599,093, and 5,156,456 (naming as inventor the present inventor and disclosing a type of collapsible light handle cover), costs were not so intensely scrutinized. The relatively large amount of polymer used for such light handle covers allows for a wide range of styles and structures due to the structural strength endowed by thicker cover walls.
As an example of how the drive for cost savings has challenged prior art designs, U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,149 and a product currently sold by Cory Bros. (Shenley, Hertferdshire, United Kingdom), under Ref. CB3611 as an Operating Room Light Handle Cover (hereafter referred to as the Cory Product, which was designed by the present inventor), have attempted to use an overall structure of the light handle cover to so as to engage a conical shield part of the light handle and thereby form a vacuum securitization of the light handle cover to the light handle.
It has become apparent that at some point (at approximately a light handle cover thickness of about 4 thousandths of an inch or less), it is structurally impossible for such light handle covers to maintain adequate vacuum engagement to the light handle. Such lightweight, thin gauge light handle covers meet the requirements of being low cost and collapsible for storage. However, if they are made of reduced internal diameter to elastically and frictionally remain attached to the light handle, they are necessarily somewhat difficult to apply to the light handle. This is a substantial drawback where a user in a sterile glove must try to install the light handle cover, condom-like, first onto the post part of the light handle and then, without being allowed to grasp the wide outer rim edges of the light handle cover, to push structurally collapsible conical protector walls into full peripheral sealing contact with the outer rim of the conical protector of the light handle. Such manipulation and difficulty necessarily causes vibration and unnecessary movement of the surgical lamp structure as well as makes it much more likely a user may inadequately engage a light handle cover to the light handle, resulting in the light handle cover falling off the light handle during surgery.
There is a need for a light handle cover using lightweight, lower gauge polymer which will assure retention of a light handle cover on the light handle during surgery while providing a low cost and completely collapsible structure.